Interaction of Photons with Polymers: From Surface Modification to Ablation

Abstract

AbstractSummary: This work reviews the interaction of photons with polymers with an emphasis on UV laser ablation and surface modification using VUV lamps. Laser ablation of polymers is an established process in industrial applications, but the mechanisms of ablation are still controversial. Different polymers, such as poly(methyl methacrylate), polyimides and specially designed polymers are used as examples to show that the mechanism is a mixture of photochemical and photothermal features which are closely related to the polymer structure and properties. Different approaches to probe the ablation mechanisms and to improve ablation are discussed. Photoactive groups have been introduced into the polymer structure to improve the quality of ablation and to elucidate the ablation mechanisms. The experimental techniques to probe the ablation mechanism range from time‐resolved measurements, such as shadowgraphy, ToF‐MS, and ns‐surface interferometry to variations of the irradiation wavelengths and pulse lengths. The necessity for a critical evaluation of the experimental procedures and analysis is discussed exemplary for polyimides. The data for different types of polyimides are mixed up and some experimental procedures are possibly causing problems for the data evaluation. Various recent trends for laser ablation, such as ultrafast ablation or VUV ablation are also discussed. Surface modifications of polymers using VUV photons from lamps are discussed for oxidation and nitriding of poly dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyolefines. The mechanism of the PDMS surface oxidation is presented in detail.Ablation pattern in TP1 created by 308 nm irradiation using a gray tone phase mask.magnified imageAblation pattern in TP1 created by 308 nm irradiation using a gray tone phase mask.